Laurence Michalak, the author of the article; "The Arab in AmericanCinema: From Bad to Worse, or Getting Better?" uses a line from a proverbwhich states: "truth is stranger than fiction." In the media's presentation ofArabs, this statement is not true at all. The media, books, television programs,and especially the movie making industry depict people of this culture by usingfrighteningly repugnant stereotypes and the exposure to these materials warpour sense of reality regarding the true and common way of life for these people.What will be discussed in this essay is how the movie makers contribute tothis way of thinking, the reasons why they use certain examples that representthe culture of the Middle East, some things that can be accomplished forthis subject to improve, and what the possible outcomeof this situation could be.Movie production is big business, and ...view middle of the document...
However, it is not enoughto erase what is already stored in the memory banks of people.The movies that influence the masses thinking of Arab culture ismostly incorrect information. A large amount of oil is produced in the MiddleEast, yet the Middle Eastern countries still get their petroleum fromother countries. Some Arabian people do not approve ofa representative government. However, the Palestinian Authority hasa president who obtained office via the popular vote with a significantnumber of vote casters willingly exercising their electing right.The United States sometimes has difficulty motivating its citizens tovote. Also, it is dependant on the Electoral College to determine thepresidential victor and not necessarily a true representation of themajority. The Arab people have a large population, and within thatpopulation exist people of violence. Nevertheless, it is not fair tostate, or believe that most people of Arabic decent are inherently evil.Just like other populace masses, the Middle Easterners produce alloccupations.Why does the motion picture industry use such exaggeratedor false images of the Arab people? Some tend to think that itmight be due to the amount of Jewish people that produce movies.Knowing historically that Jews (Israelites) and Muslims (Palestinians)do not get along. But the author of the article did notfeel that way. A point that the author did bring up and believe is thatthe producers of movies are influenced by the politicians they support.Therefore, expressing the one sided and the exaggerated views of thoseleaders in the films made.For the situation regarding the Arab society to improve, the influencesand opinions of moviemakers will have to change. Instead of training usto view inappropriate things to be true, our public officials should direct usto be more tolerant, and understanding of other cultures. This would improverelationships with not just the Arab culture but with all cultures we do nottotally understand. And therefore enhance the quality of life.